Sewing box

1844

This sewing box is one of fewer than a dozen known examples signed by Daniel Evans. In the 1830s and 1840s, Evans taught drawing and penmanship at a women's academy in Augusta, Maine, where young ladies would learn to make decorative objects and textiles. The undersides of his lids often bear long presentation inscriptions in verse, signed by the artist. Evans is known to have made several similar boxes, usually decorated with stylized architectural scenes that were probably inspired by prints. Evans would paint a watercolor scene and later adhere the paper to the box. This example, dated 1844, is exceptional in that Evans painted the decoration in oil directly on the wood. The mill buildings depicted on this lid might represent buildings along the Kennebec River near Augusta.